Not my gas bill

the_good

I have a bit of a dilema and am wondering if there are any moneysavers out there that have come across this problem or can give me some advice.

We have recently bought a house and have been renovating it for the last 2 months (completely gutting it and rebuilding most aspects). Previously the house was unoccupied (I have checked the history and it is all above board) as it belonged to an auntie of a friend who sadly passed away 18 months ago.

The house has been empty for the past 18+ months.

We have done alot of work on the house but only in the last week or so has the electricity and gas been reconnected (the gas meter was in the garden when the work was ongoing!). We moved in last Friday as it is now just about habitable, and all seemed to be going well.

On Monday we recied a bill addressed to 'the occupier' from British Gas for a total of - £958.65!!! The bill indicates 'outstanding charges' and there is a threat of disconnection.

Obviously I am a little upset at this and I am more than worried about contacting British Gas as I have heard some horror stories relating to their customer service.
Do I have to pay this bill? Am I still required to pay this bill even though the bill was clearly not ours? What should I do about it? and, has anyone had any good/bad experiences with British Gas?

I have all of the documents relating to the sale and purchase of the house so can prove when we had posession, etc.

I am wanting to legitimately read the meter and set up an new account with a gas supplier but am amiss of what to do at present.

If anyone has any suggestions/advice it would be much appreciated.

:A

tripled

You don't have much choice but to contact them to let them know you've moved in - how else do you expect to sort it out?

If you haven't already, take a meter reading asap, knock a few units off to account for the fact it's been connected a week, contact them, advise them of the date you bought the property (ie two months ago) and give them the reading. You do not have to pay for any gas from before you bought the property.

The £958.65 is probably an estimated bill for the last 18 months.

In future you should register with the current supplier as soon as you take over a property and give a reading to avoid any problems.